The Mastermind

 (How did Palpatine persuaded Anakin to cross over to the dark side?)

“If you only have a time limit of 5 to 7 minutes to persuade your audience, what would you do?”

Use this simple reminder: Pain or Pleasure. It applies to all forms of persuasive communication including copywriting.To MASTERMIND the whole persuasive conversation, Start by identifying and introducing the audience’s pain then ONLY we expose the solution, the problem solver, the pleasure. We are conditioned to avoid pain and seek pleasure. Between the two sensations, pain is the more powerful stimulant to action.  So until you allow your audience to be aware of their pain, they will have no impetus to take any action.

So, what is the one thing that keeps them awake at night?  What is one pain that if resolved, will make them a much happier person? Once you have identified that particular pain, help them to remember it. Recreate the scenario so that they can re-experience the pain, both physically and emotionally. When you have successfully brought your audience to that state, they will be begging you to offer them a remedy or a quick solution to rid them of the pain.  In other words, the more successful you are in pushing their pain tolerance barrier, the less persuasion you will have to do in your speech!

The Next Level

My recent read was the Habitudes for Communicators: The Art of Engaging Communication from Tim Elmore. He has somehow bring my knowledge about public speaking and presentation to a whole new LEVEL. Elmore uses sticky metaphors that help you remember his concepts. His chapter heads are metaphorical like “Windows and Mirrors”, “the Faded Flag” and “The Thomas Nast Principle.”

He has great insights throughout the book. For example, in “Windows and Mirrors” he proposes that there’s a gap between communicators and public speakers:

A Public Speaker:                                                                                                                

1) Puts the Message Before the People

2) Asks: What Do I Have?

3) Emphasizes Techniques

4) Focus is on Content of the Words

5) Polished (Image Conscious)

6) Goal: Complete the Message

Communicator:

1) Puts the People Before the Message

2) Asks: What Do They Need?

3) Emphasizes Atmosphere

4) Focus is Change in the Listeners

5) Personal (Impact Conscious)

6) Goal: Complete the People

This book is full of fresh insights that I haven’t seen in any other presentation book, so it’s worth picking up!

 

 

The Believers

If you are AFRAID of failing, do it anyway. Because by failing we gain real life lessons.
If you are AFRAID of competition, do it anyway. Because you have only 1 person to beat and that person is you.
If you are AFRAID of uncertainty, do it anyway. Because we have no control over the future. Why not focus on the present?
If you are AFRAID of what other people might say, do it anyway. Because we have freedom to ignore the naysayers but accept the good advice.

If you are AFRAID, do it anyway. Because courage is NOT the absence of fear.

Believe in yourself. Do it. Decide the outcome of your own story.

The Dumb Me

The inability to think on the spot and respond makes me feel dumb.

Example Scenario #1
The host or the MC decided to invite you to go up to the stage. Next thing you know is that he is going to interview you in front of so many people.

Example Scenario #2
You met your crush standing somewhere, talking to somebody at a party. You do not want to let go such opportunity to approach her/him. You try to start a conversation.

Example Scenario #3
You are having a meeting with your colleagues and bosses. Everybody started to contribute ideas. Out of nowhere, someone asked you, “What do you think?”

Your main concern is how to give a good answer, to impress, to tell the world that you are smart and not boring. You try but in the end, you failed. People are confused with what you are trying to say. Your self-esteem is greatly reduced. Many of us fell into that circumstances because our mind were so busy preparing for the best answers we could give even when the questions weren’t completely asked. Sometimes, we get so imaginative that our soul wonder off a few thousand miles away from our present moment. We listened to the conversation /presentation but we did not actually listen actively and attentively. Consequently, we all ended up not producing anything nice from the back of our head. To get it over, we tend to reply in a very short and uninspiring manner. If you feel how I feel, Then here is 1 simple exercise for you to practice.

(1) On-The-Go-Quick-Meditation

The perception of meditation only happens when there is some pretentious Balinese style parlor with Buddha statues all over the place are not true. Meditation is about mindfulness. We can practice it almost everywhere and anytime.  Here’s what you need to do. Clear your mind (don’t think of the outcome), be mindful of your surroundings (eye contact, mood, atmosphere), listen first before you do the thinking (active listening, interpret the questions /messages), clarify (“So what you are trying to say is…?” “…i see, so that’s what you mean”) then reply. Trust me, it creates differences. By the way, don’t just practice it when there’s an urgent need or when you want to talk to “that cute girl”. Practice it with everyone you meet everyday.

The Mumblers

 

“Do you mind to repeat?”
“I can’t hear you.”
“Har?”
“Lu kong simi?”

Do you mutter..or mumble? Here’s some quick fix:
(1) Talk slower 
When we talk slower, we tend to be more mindful of our words especially choosing the right words, with the right meaning for the right intention. When we are mindful, our brain will tell us to “hey, speak as clear as you can because you need to send your meaning across!.”

Hence, talk fast = talk with passive brain, talk slow = talk with active brain

(2) Work Your Mouth

Get your mouth or the cavity area to work harder including lips, tongue and teeth. Some people mumble because they don’t utilize their mouth – or their mouth did not open wide enough when necessary. Some say this is the lazy mouth because the mouth is not actively moving when they speak.

(3) Practice

Practice with someone you are familiar with. Make mistakes in front of them before you made one live (etc. talking to stakeholders, presentation, public speaking)